Power Wheels Magazine A Notch Above
While sorting through my stuff and cleaning my cluttered small office in our house on New Year’s Eve, I realized that I need to minimize my belongings. I’m turning 60 on my next birthday, and even though I don’t have any plans of retiring (simply because I cannot afford to retire), I have decided to let go of some of the stuff that I don’t use anymore. Of course, that’s easier said than done because I am a pack rat, meaning I have difficulty letting go of things that I consider as memorable, nostalgic, or… ahem, “collectible”.
I was able to collect some stuff over the years – die cast scale-model cars and motorcycles, vintage tin toys, magazines and books, vintage bicycles, mechanical wrist watches, guitars, tools and cars. (Well, actually a LOT of stuff!) For the purpose of this year-end opinion piece for this website, I will focus on the Seven (7) Project Cars that my wife Shawie and I bought and own, excluding the 3 others, that we are restoring for Power Wheels Magazine.
1971 Chevrolet Camaro RS
With money borrowed from my parents and the proceeds from the sale of my 1974 Chevy Nova, I bought this Camaro in 1996, restored it and displayed it at the 1998 Trans Sport Show, kept it in storage in 2003 because I was raising a family, nearly sold it in 2005, refurbished it in 2009, and started a grounds-up nut-and-bolt restoration in 2014. It’s still in a million pieces but I plan to finish it in 2025. Or 2026, depending on the state of my finances.
1974 Volkswagen Super Beetle 1303S
In 2019, I helped restore the cream 1973 VW Beetle 1300S of my late father’s friend, Ildefonso “Fons” Caluag, and in gratitude he gave me his other VW, this green curved windshield Super Beetle 1303S. My son Chevy, who turned 19 a couple of months ago, wants to drive this green Bug to school. It just needs a tune-up, some minor suspension and brake work, a little sprucing up of the interior, and then, it’s good to go. Being a new driver, Chevy thinks that a new glossy paint job can be applied much, much later.
1983 Mercedes-Benz 500SE (W126)
After my father passed away in 2012, my wife Shawie bought me this S-Klasse German luxury car because she wanted me to be busy and distracted with work to help get over the loss of my dad. She also got the seller to give her a huge, substantial discount. I was hesitant at first because I know that restoring a V8 Mercedes-Benz is not for the faint of heart (or wallet, for that matter) but she insisted that it will be good for our publication business. And she was right – this W126 expanded the Project Cars section of Power Wheels Magazine.
1990 Nissan Cefiro 2.4 GTS-R (A31)
At the height of the pandemic in 2021, I chanced upon this rear-wheel-drive A31 Cefiro advertised in Facebook Marketplace. It was sitting on improvised jack stands under a makeshift carport somewhere in Aringay, La Union and I just had to see it. I was surprised to learn that the owner still started the car everyday just to circulate the liquids around the engine, which helped preserve it. Needless to say, we bought it and had it undergo a paint washover at JSK Custom Paint & Auto Works in Valenzuela City.
1995 Jaguar XJ6 (X300)
During a test drive of the Jaguar I-Pace electric SUV in 2020, Chris Ward, the President of JLR Philippines asked me if anybody does “decommissioning” unused cars here in the Philippines, like they do in Britain and Japan. When Shawie and I learned that it was a Jaguar XJ6 that the Canada-based heirs of the deceased owner were planning to “decommission”, we were naturally interested. One thing led to another and we became the X300’s new owner in December 2020. It’s currently not running because I’m still working on the fuel rail of the Jag’s EFI.
1996 Nissan Sentra Super Saloon (B14)
My dad, Atty. Jaime Dizon, passed away in 2012 and this automatic transmission-equipped Nissan was his last car. Because no one was driving it after he passed, rats chewed away at some of the wiring harness and disabled the engine. Nissan Commonwealth helped refurbish the car to an almost original condition but afterwards, probably because of age and seldom use, it currently won’t start – perhaps needing a new fuel pump and ignition system. We’ll have it repaired after the holidays.
2002 Chevrolet Tahoe LS4800
True story: The size of our family car grew as our family grew. We started with a 2005 Kia Picanto that grew into a 2011 Kia Soul that grew into a 2002 Chevy Tahoe. Funny but true. Of course, there’s nothing funny about the fuel consumption, coming from a 1.1-liter 4-cylinder economizer, moving up to a 1.6-liter compact SUV, and then guzzling up to a 4.8-liter V8-powered full-size SUV. But we absolutely love this Chevy! It’s currently being repaired after a serious smash-up caused by a stupid brake-checking, road-raged pickup truck driver.
The New Normal After COVID-19
After the pandemic, the motoring world expanded their category of working commuters. There was the Physical Commuter, who drive (or ride) from one place to another for work; the Super Commuter, who drive/ride more than 100 kilometers to-and-from work; and the new Telecommuter, who doesn’t need to travel because he (or she) works at home on a computer. Even before the pandemic, Shawie and I mostly worked from home, driving occasionally to attend a motoring event somewhere less than 30 kilometers from our residence. You could say at the time that we were a hybrid Physical Commuter / Telecommuter couple.
From October 2023 to August 2024, I worked as the Vice President for Motorcycle Distribution for a company based in Biñan, Laguna, which was around 60 kilometers away from my Quezon City home. So, by driving (or riding, depending on the traffic) 120 kilometers to work and back home, I became a Super Commuter for nearly a year. After I resigned in August to focus on my own small business with Shawie, we became hybrid Physical Commuters / Telecommuters again. I began to realize that we don’t really need all the cars that we currently have, hence this conundrum: “Which cars should I let go of?”
Rescue, Restore & Sell (or Keep)
To be honest, Shawie consented to acquiring all these cars because my original plan was to buy, repair, refurbish or restore, and then sell them for a small profit. My satisfaction would come from the knowledge that I rescued a nice car from oblivion and restored it well enough that it can be safely driven on public roads. However, once I became the custodian of these nice cars, I found it hard to let go. Until, of course, Shawie would put her foot down and demand the sale of one of the cars because our finances were getting thin. But even then, an opportunity would suddenly pop up that would allow us to replenish our dwindling finances and keep the cars. Often, a profitable opportunity would allow us to add another project car.
Thus, I have to come up with a plan when I conscientiously decided to “thin the herd” from 10 cars (including the other 3 project cars which I may have the opportunity to purchase while they are in a state of unrestored disrepair), and have just a maximum of 3 cars to keep so it will fit in our small garage along with my wife’s car and my 2 motorcycles. I also have to keep in mind that I will need funds to buy 2 electrohydraulic lifters so I can fit 4 cars in a garage with space for just 2 and ½ cars.
Which Ones to Keep?
Should I just keep the practical cars that we can actually use? In that case, I can only keep the Super Beetle (thrifty carbureted 1.6-liter) my dad’s Sentra (thrifty fuel-injected 1.6-liter) and the Tahoe (9-seat family SUV and cargo hauler with a useful towing capacity). Hmm… that sounds practical but a bit boring.
Should I keep the cars with sentimental value? In that case, I’ll have to keep the Camaro (it was the car that my then-girlfriend Shawie and I rode during our dates), the Super Beetle (it was a gift from my dad’s friend who has also passed away), the Mercedes (it was Shawie’s dream car), and of course, the Sentra, simply because it was my dad’s last car. Wait… that’s 4 cars.
Should I keep the dream cars that I dreamt of having but cannot afford back when it was new? In that case, aside from the Camaro (which came out when I was only 6 years old and I obviously cannot afford one), I’ll keep the Cefiro (I wanted one when I was a Nissan sales rep in 1989), the Mercedes (I couldn’t afford a new S-Klasse even if I wanted to), the Jaguar (ditto), and the Tahoe (ditto, again). Wait… that’s 5 cars.
Should I keep just the classic cars, particularly those with chrome steel bumpers? In that case, only the Camaro and the Super Beetle will be left because the rest have plastic bumpers. I could choose between the Mercedes, Jaguar and Tahoe because they have some chrome trim to spruce up their plastic bumpers to make my 3-car quota.
Should I speculate and keep the collectible cars, which will hopefully become more valuable in the future? In that case, I’ll definitely keep the Camaro (it’s now worth a lot of money), the Super Beetle (it’s now worth more than 10 times its selling price in 1974); and the Mercedes (there is a growing number of W126 enthusiasts for this over-engineered German luxury car and mine has its factory M117 5.0-liter V8). I could also keep the Cefiro (it’s practically a time machine with its well-preserved condition) and the Jaguar (it might go up in value someday, especially with the new but unpopular rebranding of Jaguar) but I’ll have to rent a storage space to keep these cars.
Other Project Cars
Before I decide which cars to keep, I decided to look at other options, particularly Project Cars that we’re helping restore. Work has started on the two Jaguar XJ40s owned by Rodger Yu (1989 and 1990 XJ6) that he plans to give to his two sons, which takes it off the market. Now that he’s retired, Rodger wants to focus on restoring cars, including a 1978 Toyota Celica XX (pronounced “Double X”) that we bought in 2021. He initially wanted to flip it and I wanted to own it. However, he’s now focused on restoring it and adding it to his growing car collection after we learned that it’s a highly-collectible Japanese Domestic Market (JDM), first-year, first-generation Supra that was produced in limited numbers.
Then, there’s the one-owner 1968 Buick Skylark Custom that’s in storage, which we were planning to work on as our future Project Car. I missed the front bench seat and column shift of my 1974 Chevy Nova 2-door sedan and I could get those back with this blue Skylark 2-door hardtop. Yes! A Sixties hardtop with a rumbling 350-cubic-inch (5.7-liter) V8 will be more than enough to replace my old Nova with its 250-cid (4.0-liter) inline 6-cylinder. Of course, Shawie thinks that having three V8 cars (the Camaro, Benz and Tahoe) are enough, especially with the spiraling costs of fuel.
Coming to a Decision
After sleepless nights of tossing and turning in bed, thinking of which cars to keep and which cars to sell, I think I have finally come up with a plan. I’ll sell the Cefiro and my dad’s Sentra to raise some money for the electrohydraulic car lifters; keep the Camaro, the Super Beetle and the Tahoe and park these cars in our garage along with my wife’s car and my two motorcycles. We’ll use Shawie’s practical Suzuki Ciaz for our daily Physical Commute and the Tahoe for trips with the whole family and/or some cargo. Chevy will drive the Super Beetle to school while Shawie and I will drive the Camaro occasionally simply for fun and driving enjoyment.
As for the Mercedes and the Jaguar, I plan to restore them to their former glory along with the Skylark and a 1970 Corvette coupe that I have been lusting after for almost two decades. And after they are restored, I will have to find a property to store them all in. You may ask, “What happened to decluttering? How will I be able to afford all these?” Well, to be honest, right now, I can’t afford to. But I’m hoping that some of our business ventures might thrive and become profitable so I can afford to keep and maintain 7 cars and 2 motorcycles. And perhaps add a collectible sports car to make it an even 10 vehicles.
As for the decluttering, I’m sorry, I simply can’t. I’m a hopeless, sentimental fool, a pack rat, and a passionate collector. I always believed that I didn’t find these cars – these cars found me! I just can’t let go. So, instead of selling my cars, I decided to come up with big, audacious business plans, work tirelessly on these businesses so I can afford to keep, and hopefully expand, my car collection. And that’s the plan, folks. I know that my plan is not practical at all, but I absolutely love the cars that I currently have in my stewardship and I love working on them. Besides, I can dream, can’t I?
